build bridges and strengthen partnerships between sectors as well as increasing cohesion between all stakeholders

promote Irish community projects across Europe

raise awareness and localise the Sustainable Development Goals and climate targets

Convergence brings people and ideas together. Since its beginning in 2000, the festival has featured some of the most inspiring thinkers and doers both from Ireland and abroad, and championed the changes needed to create a sustainable economy, a healthy society and a flourishing environment.

Learn how we can live more sustainably using ecological designPractical skills for horticulture, farming, enterprise, green building, perma-facture, collaboration, social innovation and community resilience.

This 10-day Permaculture Design Certificate Course is organised by Cultivate and hosted in association with Cloughjordan Community Farm and the Ecovillage Education Group and is accredited by the Permaculture Association

Each year we invite special guest tutors to share their expertise, and 2017 sees the return of Albert Bates, the founder of the Ecovillage Training Center at The Farm in Tennessee, past president of Global Ecovillage Network and author of 16 books on ecology and the future and Aranya, leading UK Permaculture teacher and designer and author of Permaculture Design: A Step-by-Step Guide. Aranya will be coming to us online; he hosted one of last years most popular, inspiring and interactive sessions on design.

Cultivate, the sustainability collective based in Cloughjordan Ecovillage, will once again be coordinating the Electric Picnic’s pop-up eco-village of activists, artists, makers, musicians, foodies, slam poets and hackers.

Global Green is the conscious heartbeat of the Electric Picnic; a cutting-edge nexus of green ideas and connections, showcasing new musical acts, offering great local food and introducing radical ideas for a community-led, fossil-free future.

In the Village Hall we will be keeping a finger on Ireland’s musical pulse with atmospheric, electro, acoustic and folk music by day and dance and hip-hop beats by night.

Relax and engage in the Convergence Tent with Ireland's leading NGOs and activists. With discussions and talks on global and local themes, spoken word and chilled out music, this is the zone to get inspired and add your voice to the conversation.

Your food needs are covered with our Local Food Project; it’s delicious and sourced from within a 50-mile radius of Cloughjordan. Our community garden is full of art and rustic surprises, including the GROW Dome and compelling conversations on growing in the Red Barn.

Shake off that fuzzy head and get your festival day underway with Global Green's famous morning kick-off yoga session and then hang out on the green for the best coffee and breakfast on site.Whether you want to dance, eat, get involved or just chill out and listen, this green oasis is a must-visit over the festival weekend.

Cultivate believe that citizens are both the engine and catalyst for sustainable urban and rural transformation. People will be at the very heart of success in reaching climate targets and Sustainable Development Goals as well as making our local areas more sustainable and resilient to change. Engaging citizens to address common sustainability issues is essential to the social wellbeing of our communities, the resilience of our local areas and the protection of the environment.

The aim of Convergence is to reimagine community and develop the capacity of change makers to drive existing and emerging local sustainability projects. Convergence also aims to build bridges between sectors as well as increasing cohesion between local initiatives. An emphasis will be put on relationships and partnerships between community groups, as well as with local businesses, local authorities, semi-state organisations and government departments towards a low carbon and resilient society.

An exciting nationwide programme of events is being developed around the following topics.• Citizen Engagement• Social Wellbeing• Community Resilience• Green Communities• Social Innovation• Community Energy, Food & Enterprise• Zero Waste / Local / Circular Economy• Sustainable Development Goals• Climate Action• Sustainable Cities and Communities• The Transition to a Low Carbon Future• The Collaborative Economy• Co-Housing & Green Building

BackgroundCultivate has hosted the Convergence Festival every year since 2000. As the name suggests our objective is to bring people and ideas together. Since its beginnings, Convergence has featured some of the most inspiring thinkers and doers both from Ireland and abroad, and championed the changes needed to create a sustainable economy, society and environment.

Originally Convergence was hosted in Temple Bar, Dublin, however in recent years we have expanded the festival to include events held across the country. This series of workshops and conferences sets out to inspire a community-led approach to sustainability, societal transitions and the transformation of our localities.

Do you grow your own food? Have an allotment? Own a small farm? Are you involved in a community or school garden?

Are you taking practical steps to regenerate the soil for future generations? GROW provides an opportunity to develop and share your knowledge and skills.

Join us in the GROW Observatory, a European-wide project engaging thousands of growers as citizen scientists. We will learn together, using simple tools to better manage soil, while contributing to vital global environmental monitoring.

Our coordinatedexperiments will help with forecasting and preparing for climate events, such as heat waves and floods, by validating the detection of soil moisture from satellites.

This QQI L5 Permaculture Design Course* provides participants with a balanced combination of theory and outdoor practical place-based learning. The course emphasises both ecological and social permaculture covering topics such as perennial plants, agro-forestry, soil health and new ways of thinking about land management. A lively, participatory and thought-provoking experience is guaranteed.

*This course can be taken alone or when taken with Applied Permaculture Design QQI L5, can lead to a full UK Permaculture Design Certificate. The Weekend Permaculture and Applied Permaculture Courses are delivered by NICER Training, the QQI registered provider, in partnership with Cultivate.

What is permaculture?

The word 'permaculture' comes from 'permanent agriculture' and 'permanent culture'. Permaculture applied to farming and gardening promotes organic methods of managing land in such a way as to increase soil carbon, protect and enrich the soil and boost biodiversity. Applied to society and 'culture' it supports communities in becoming more resilient. The essence of permaculture is the design of an ecologically sound way of living - in our households, gardens, communities and businesses - and cooperating with nature and caring for the earth and its people.

Rather than a discipline, Permaculture presents us with a set of design principles derived from the observation of natural ecosystems. These principles are then used to develop integrated systems that provide for our needs of food, shelter, energy and community in ways that are healthy and efficient. We can use permaculture design methods to improve the quality and productivity of our individual lives, our society and our environment.

Visit Ireland's Only Ecovillage - Learn about Living and Working Sustainably

Cultivate designs and delivers one to five day programmes for groups around a particular topic or topics of interest related to the transition to a low carbon and resilient society. These can include Green Building and Sustainable Energy, Local Food, Food Security, Community Energy Transition, Local Enterprise, Digital Manufacturing, Community Resilience and Sustainable Living.

We tailor the tours for each group and work with them to devise a personalised itinerary on their specific area of interest. These study tours can range from one to several days, depending on the itinerary developed, though we recommend at least two days to allow for a more immersive experience.

Cloughjordan is a traditional Irish village which is now also home to the Cloughjordan Ecovillage. This is where we share our experience and knowledge with groups of all ages, sizes and interests.

Activities are based in the Ecovillage and can include tours, talks, practical workshops and social events in Cloughjordan and the surrounding area. We can also work with groups on transport, accommodation and meals. Groups interested in continuing professional development can participate in industry specific workshops and talks.